Benghazi Memo Edits Show State, White House Involvement

A top State Department official pressed the CIA and the White House to delete any mention of terrorism in public statements on the Benghazi terror attack to prevent critics from blaming lax security at the consulate, according to documents obtained by ABC News.

The information “goes right to the heart of what the White House continues to deny,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, told USA TODAY. “For eight months they denied there’s any manipulation, but this continues to shed light on something that was never true.”

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement to USA TODAY on Friday that the changes were made to prevent members of Congress from “providing more guidance to the public than the administration.”